Worth it

Hello friends! I’ve just returned home from yet another fabulous weekend in the city, which I cannot wait to return to for good in just a few weeks…

Beautiful.

Friday evening I had a delicious dinner date with the lovely Ilana of Happy Healthy Hottie. We met up in the “Curry Hill” neighborhood of Manhattan, dubbed for its plethora of Indian restaurants. After debating restaurants, we finally settled on a hole in the wall place and ordered a feast.

Chapati. I thought I had an obsession with naan, but this chewy crepe-like flatbread has stolen my heart.

Vegetable Vindaloo. Super spicy = super yummy.

Baigan bharta, my all-time favorite Indian dish.

Necessary carb representation.

Once we were satisfied with our Indian food babies, we decided to take the gabfest across town to Cocoa V, the Blossom-owned chocolate and wine bar I visited with Mike last weekend. We shared the chocolate sampler for two.

Clockwise from top left hand corner: chocolate-covered edamame cluster, passionfruit bon bon, almond butter truffle, raspberry bon bon, hazelnut truffle (our favorite), Earl Grey bon bon, jasmine and caramel bon bon, dark chocolate truffle and sesame toffee. All vegan. Words cannot describe how amazing this was. The irony was that this plate alone cost more than our entire meal at the Indian restaurant…whatever, it was worth it.

Stuffed to capacity, we walked over to Mike’s apartment to meet up with a few of his friends before heading out for the night. The group ended up at a dive bar in Chelsea, where we stayed until about 3 am. Normally I’m ready for bed by about midnight, but I rallied as a result of the warm weather and good company and ended up having a great time. I love that Ilana and I can hang out so easily in the city, she’s so much fun!

By the way, anyone want a smootie?

I managed to sleep in until 10:30 the next day, which is unheard of in Gabriela land. I spent the rest of the day going for a quick run through Soho, doing errands and organizing the apartment. I had a tofu and veggie roll, some pineapple and liquid chemicals for lunch at some point:

And Mike and I hit up Whole Foods for dinner. This salad beast contained spinach, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, red peppers, sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, balsamic tofu, strawberry salad slaw, zucchini, yellow squash, onions and oil and vinegar.

We also split a huge hunk of cornbread, a bar of WF coconut dark chocolate and a vegan chocolate chip cookie. Go big or go home. Worth it.

A bit later, we headed up to the Bronx for the night. This little lady was definitely the highlight of my evening:

Scout. Half Chihuahua, half Dachshund. All love. She actually looks terrified in this pic…there might be such a thing as too much cuddling for such a tiny dog.

I went off picture patrol for most of the night, but it was another fabulous one. I may have eaten an entire basket of curly fries on my own at 2 am…so worth it though. Don’t judge me J

Despite going to bed at 3 again, I was up and at ‘em by 7 to welcome Dabenz and Giuditta with my furniture! For the record, climbing three flights of stairs carrying boxes for an hour is the best workout I’ve had in awhile.

Hi Dabenz!

Giuditta and my kitchen!

No bed yet!

Once everything was put together, the finished product was definitely worth the sweat. I love this place.

All the moving definitely worked up an appetite, so my parents, Mike and I headed to Spring Street Natural for brunch. It’s definitely one of my favorite NYC restaurants- I love that there are healthy, natural and delicious options for vegans and omnivores, making it a great place to take a group of people with lots of differing dietary preferences.

I started off with a slice each of tomato and oat loaf, plus a carrot juice:

I chose the Asian salad for my entrée: boston, romaine and iceberg lettuce, fresh pineapple, toasted almonds and cashews, crispy noodles, julienne carrots, jicama, fresh mango and spring onions in a spicy toasted sesame-miso dressing.

For dessert, my mom and I split the panna cotta. I wasn’t a fan of the creamy base, but I devoured the homemade whipped cream and strawberries! I also helped Mike polish off his raspberry sorbet- to die for! Definitely worth the stuffed feeling on the car ride home.

The only downside to this fabulous weekend was that my phone crapped out on me last night- the entire keyboard randomly stopped working. I took it to Verizon as soon as I got home and thankfully my insurance plan covers a new one, but it won’t arrive until Tuesday. While being phoneless is a hassle, I’m kind of enjoying the fact that I can’t be reached…it’s nice not to feel your phone constantly vibrating!

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend too! Have a great Monday, everyone!

What did you eat/do this weekend that was a little out of your comfort zone but totally worth it?

What’s your favorite kind of truffle?